Wheel for bicycles or other vehicles.



Patented Ian. 9, I900. E. A. cnossuav. v WHEEL FOR BICYCLESDR OTHERVEHICLES. (Apphcatmn filed may 11 1899 (No Model) ifi'zmww W 'rnz'NORRIS P: rzns co. mommrnu, WASHINGTDN, u. c.

No. 64I,G85. Patented Jan. 9, i900.

E. A. CR0SSLEY.. WHEEL FOR BICYCLES OR OTHER VEHICLES.

(Application fi1ed May 11, 1899.)

2 Sheets+$haet 2 (No Model.)

lJ'Nrrn STATES PATENT rrrcn.

ELIZA ANNE CROSSLEY, OF AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND.

WHEEL FOR BICYCLES .OR OTHER VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent.l\l'0. 641,085, datedJanuary 9, 1900.

Application filed May 11, 1899- To cLZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELIZA ANNE CRossLnY, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain, residing at Auckland, provincial district of Auckland, Colonyof New Zealand, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements inWheels for Bicycles or other Vehicles, of which the following, is afull, clear, and exact specification.

Thisinvention relates to elastic wheels particularly designed forbicycles, but useful for tricycles and other vehicles.

The chief object of my invention is to provide a new and improved wheelof the character referred to which is strong, durable, elastic, andlight in weight and wherein the spokes are so fastened, arranged, andapplied to a flat or flattened hub-plate of characteristic constructionthat they can be individually removed if damaged and new spokes, one ormore, very conveniently introduced, and each spoke, composed of wire orwire rod, is reversely curved and crosses two other similar spokes atdifferent points from the axis of the hub-plate, the spokes beingreinforced, strengthened, and I held together in juxtaposition to allcrossing-points through the medium of removable and replaceablearch-shaped spring bracing-clips bent into such shape that eachcomprises an arch-plate having clips at its ends adapted to embrace twodifferent spokes.

The object of my invention is accomplished in the manner and by themeans hereinafter described and claimed, reference being made to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation showingthe hub-plate,the wire or wire-rod spokes, andlthe bracing-clips,thewheel rim or tire being omitted. Fig. 2 is a front elevation, on alarger scale, showing the hub-plate and portions of some of the spokesapplied thereto. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of a portion of thehubplate, showing the construction of the duplex socket on each radialarm. 4t is a detail View showing the inner end portions of two spokerods or wires and a bracing-clip applied thereto,- and Fig. 5 is adetail perspective view of one of the steel-spring spoke-bracing clipsprior to being bent into arch form for application to the spokes.

In order to enable those skilled in the art Serial No. 716,426. (Nomodel.)

to make and use my invention, I will now describe the same in detail,referring to the drawings, wherein-- The numeral 1 indicates thewheelhub,aud

2 the elastic spokes. The Wheel rim or tire is'not shown, as itconstitutes no part of my invention,and may be of any desired or knownextremity of each of which is reversely bent or twisted or otherwisefashioned to provide a double socket, or rather a pair of sockets 5 5,arranged side by side, as best seen in Fig. 3. The hub-plate 1 is formedwith a central circular opening 6 to receive the axle 7, on which thewheel rotates, and around the axle-opening the plate is constructed withan annular row of spaced-apart keyhole-slots 8, corre sponding in numberto the number of wire or wire-rod elastic spokes 2, each pair of whichpasses through two of the spoke-sockets 5 on an arm 4 of the hub-plate.The inner ends of the spokes are provided with offsetting disk-shapedheads 10, which can pass through the larger ends of the key-slots 8 andthen be engaged with the smaller or contracted parts of said slots bythe inner ends of the spokes springing or moving outward, whereby thespokes are firmly and securely but detachably connected with thehub-plate. The spokes extend in curved paths, as at 12, from thekeyhole-slots to and through the spoke-sock ets 5 on the arms 4, andafter passing through said sockets the spokes cross one another, as at13,and form arches beneath which steel-spring bracing-clips 14 15connect the crossing spokes together, and so reinforce, strengthen, andhold them tight. From the crossing-point 13 the spokes are reverselycurved outward and again cross one another, as at 16, and form arches,which are similarly reinforced,

strengthened, and held tight by steel-spring bracing-clips l4: 15. Thesebracing-clips are each composed of a slender steel wire or rod 14:,formed integral at each end, with split cylindrical clips 15, designedto embrace, surround, and hold the spokes, as will be clearly rather twospoke-sockets 5.

understood by reference to Fig. 4. The Wire or rod 14: of each clip isbent or shaped into arched or curved form, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and4. In Fig. 5 the bracing-clip is represented in the form it bears priorto being arched or curved for application to the spokes.

It will be obvious that if any spoke breaks or is damaged it can beconveniently'and quickly detached from the hub-plate and a new spokeintroduced. The hub-plate and other parts maybe made of any requiredsize and of any metal suitable for the purpose. As many spokes can beused as may suit the wheel of which they form a part, and while thereare as many keyhole-slots in the hubplate as there are spokes employedthere is but half the number of radial arms at, since each arm is formedwith a duplex socket, or

The bracingclips are readily removable and replaceable, as thecylindrical clips 15 are split and can be easily folded around orunfolded from the spokes, as will be obvious.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A wheel-hub,consisting of a flattened hub-plate having a central axle-opening,radial arms each formed at its outer end portion with a duplex socket toreceive two spokes, and an annular row of slots around said axleopeningfor detachably engaging the inner ends of wheel-spokes, substantially asdescribed.

2. A vehicle-wheel, consisting of a hubplate having a centralaxle-opening, a plurality of radial arms, each formed at its outer endwith a duplex socket to receive two spokes, and an annular row of slotsbetween said axle-opening and said radial arms, a plurality of spokerods or wires having heads at their inner ends detachably engaged,respectively, with said slots, two of the spoke rods or wires passingthrough the duplex socket of each radial arm and crossing one another atpoints beyond said duplex sockets to form arches, and bracing-clipsdetachably embracing the spoke rods or wires and reinforcing and holdingsaid arches in proximity to the crossing-points of the spoke rods orwires, substantially as described.

3. A vehicle-wheel, consisting of a hubwhich embrace the spoke rods orwires and firmly bind them together at their crossingpoints,substantially as described.

4. A vehicle-wheel, consisting of a flat hubplate having a centralaxle-opening, a plurality of radial arms each reversely bent at itsouter end to provide a duplex socket, and an annular row ofkeyhole-slots around said axle-opening, a plurality of reversely-curvedcrossing and recrossing spoke rods or wires passing in pairs through therespective duplex sockets and formed with heads at their inner endsdetachably engaged with the keyhole-slots,and inner and outer sets ofbracingclips detachably engaging the said spoke rods or wires inproximity to their said crossing and recrossing points, substantially asdescribed.

ELIZA ANNE CROSSLEY.

Witnesses:

GEORGE WILLIAM BAsLEY, FRANCIS ERNEST BASLEY.

